In the United States, the Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor. The names, faces, and heroic acts of its recipients are shared with the world on television, in books, by newspapers and magazines, and via social media. Sergeant Major Devaney's They Were Heroes seeks to provide moving portraits of warriors who have not received notice, but whose unselfish acts of courage in the heat of battle are just as compelling. His accounts highlight the heroism of those who placed their lives at risk and some who made the ultimate scarifice to assure the safety of their fellow Marines. Althought not his main purpose, Devaney also calls attention to the flaws that he contends exist in the practice of bestowing medals. He argues that warriors have often received awards that were rated well below what their deeds merited. No less disturbing is his observation that medals were often awarded by rank and not always by action. The compelling stories of Cpl Jarred L. Adams, HM2 Allan M. Cundanga Espiritu, Sgt Lance D. May, Maj Alan Rowe, Cpl John R. Stalvey, SFC Nathan Chapman, 1st Sgt Ernest K. Hoopii, and many others serve to remind Americans of the ongoing sacrifices that Marines and other members of the armed forces make on a daily basis in service to their country. -- From the publisher.